FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (April 3, 2014) -- It was a long wait for Frank Crum. Nearly 70 years after being medically discharged from the Army, 90-year-old Francis Holmes "Frank" Crum received his World War II medals in a ceremony March 31 at the Frontier Army Museum surrounded by family, friends and members of the Fort Leavenworth community.
"We?'re going to correct an oversight by which a distinguished veteran left the military without public recognition that he earned in combat 70 years plus ago," said Col. Tom Hanson, director of the Combat Studies Institute and host of the ceremony. "Now if you ask why did it take 70 years to fix this, you can ask Frank. He will tell you that it wasn't a priority. He had more important things to do like get back and marry Margaret and start a family, get a job, and become a contributing member of the community."
In 1943, Crum was drafted into the Army and trained as an antiaircraft artillery gunner. He shipped out to England in 1944 where he volunteered for the Airborne and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.
He trained as a paratrooper but was assigned to the gliderborne 80th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion. He participated in the airborne assault on Nazi-occupied Holland in Operation Market-Garden and served with the 82nd through the Ardennes Campaign -- the Battle of the Bulge -- before returning to the United States because of injuries. After recovering at Camp Carson, Colo., he was discharged on Nov. 1, 1945, without an awards presentation. He returned to civilian life, married, worked as a farmer and then for the Clay County Implement Company, a company he later owned.
He was injured twice in combat, which Hanson noted normally qualifies a soldier of a Purple Heart, but Crum was not treated for combat wounds at a medical facility. He didn't want to leave his comrades, so he was stitched up on the battlefield.
"Mr. Crum will also tell you he's not a hero," Hanson said. "They almost all say that. I will tell you as a professional soldier for 26 years and a professional historian, I've interacted with veterans from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and my own service, and I can count with the fingers on one hand the number of glidermen I've actually known and the fact that you were willing to climb in a Dumpster with wings with virtually no training and ride that into combat certainly qualifies you with the designation hero."
Crum's nonchalance about what he accomplished during his time in service is what Hanson said stands out about him and his comrades and contributes to their title of being the "greatest generation."
"We are going to do our bit today to honor him for being a veteran of the war, for the example he has set of selfless service, patriotism and civic engagement for the last seventy years," Hanson said.
Lt. Col. Rik Pleijsant, Royal Netherlands Army liaison officer to the Combined Arms Center, presented Crum with an orange lanyard, a symbol that was given to all individual members of the 82nd Airborne Division as a token of bravery in Operation Market-Garden, the largest airborne operation up to that time. The 82nd Airborne Division became the first non-Dutch unit to be decorated with the Military Order of William, the Netherlands oldest and most prestigious decoration awarded to individuals and units for exceptional bravery in battle on Oct. 8, 1945.
"Mr. Crum, ladies and gentleman, I'm not standing here in front of you as a liaison officer," Pleijsant said. "I have asked the embassy in Washington permission to act on behalf of my government, and it was granted to me. So as an official representative of the Dutch government, and the Royal Netherlands Army, I'm very glad to award Mr. Crum this orange lanyard.
"My freedom and the freedom of my fellow countrymen is deserved by people like you, heroes that were willing to risk their lives to liberate the Netherlands," Pleijsant said.
Hanson then presented Crum with campaign medals including the American Campaign Medal, issued for service in the continental United States after Dec. 7, 1941; the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Medal fixed with two bronze service stars and bronze arrowhead for his service in Holland and Germany; the World War II Victory Medal; an Honorable Service lapel pin; and the Army Marksman Weapons Qualification Badge with rifle and carbine bars.
After the presentation, a visibly emotional Crum made a nod to his fellow comrades.
"The best people in the world -- that's the reason I'm here," Crum said.
His medals were never brought up at home. In fact, his son Bill Crum said his military service was rarely mentioned.
"As a kid it was just something I never asked about, and he never really volunteered," Bill Crum said.
That was until Frank Crum's niece's husband John Walker did some digging around. Walker and his son are military veterans. His son was also assigned to the 82nd, and so they share that camaraderie.
In September 2013, one of Crum's nephews approached Walker and said, "You know Uncle Frank never did get his medals," Walker said.
After obtaining his record of service, Walker said he sent it to Army personnel asking them to research his records. Two months later, he was notified to what Crum was entitled to. The medals were made and completed three months later. Walker approached Fort Leavenworth about the idea of holding a ceremony.
"They said absolutely," Walker said.
Walker said he had to twist Crum's arm a bit about the ceremony.
"If you and the guys in your generation hadn't done this, we may all be speaking German," Walker said he told Crum. "We would not have won the war."
Walker said Crum reluctantly agreed.
"I never did think I needed awards of any kind," Crum said. "I wasn't a glory person ... I did whatever they wanted me to do. So that's what I'm doing here today. I appreciate anything that anybody can do for me."
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